Missal of St. Francis

From the Archdiocese of Baltimore:

More than eight centuries ago, St. Francis of Assisi and two companions randomly opened a prayer book three times inside their parish church of St. Nicolò. Hoping God would send them a message, the wealthy young men prayerfully consulted the manuscript once for each person of the Holy Trinity. Remarkably, each of the three Gospel passages they landed on contained the exact same command: give up worldly possessions and follow Christ. 

Taking the words to heart, St. Francis established a rule of life governing what would become his Order of Friars Minor. The Franciscans embraced radical poverty to draw closer to Christ while also evangelizing others. The same book that inspired St. Francis in 1208 is expected to inspire thousands of others as the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore places it on public display for the first time in 40 years Feb. 1 through May 31. The Latin missal, which contains Gospel readings and prayers used at Mass, underwent a painstaking two-year conservation effort aimed at repairing centuries of wear and tear. (Read more.)